Music of the Night
by SilverScreamer
Summary: Ryou depends on his yami, even though he disapproves of many of the things Bakura does. A fic about one spin on their friendship, strengthened (I hope anyway) by lyrics from Music of the Night (from The Phantom of the Opera). Rated for slight violence.
1. Default Chapter

Silverscreamer does not own YuGi Oh or Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera.  
  
The lyrics are from the version of the song that I don't like quite as much as another version I've heard. But it's all I could find and went with the only version I could find to download. In case you've never heard the song Music of the Night, I uploaded it to a site so I could share it with you.  
  
Okay... I tried and tried and tried to find a way to put the link on here, but it wouldn't load right and stuff... So I stuck it into my bio/profile. Hopefully you should be able to find that, neh?  
  
I do feel that it might help set the mood if you actually listen to the song as your read. But you should probably listen to it at least once before reading this at any rate. I don't know. It just might help to understand the fic and everything. I can't help but feel that the song at least somewhat expresses the relationship between the two of them. To some imaginable extent anyway... Plus it's just a purdiful song, though I don't think that the guy in this version is strong enough to do it justice... Oh well.  
  
Couple little notes before we jump into the fic. This will take place in a time setting basically that is not too long after Ryou moves into Domino (and no... I know nothing about what really does go on after his arrival for real...) and no one but Ryou knows about Bakura.  
  
Mind-speech notes:  
  
~(words)~ hikari to yami (words) yami to hikari  
  
====== ~*~*~*~ ======  
  
Ryou awoke with a start and shot into a sitting position. His breathing was heavy. Erratic. Pain throbbed in his stomach from the action of sitting up and he groaned and flopped back to lay on his back. He closed his eyes, and images from his nightmare slammed into each other in a mad rush to be seen in his mind's eye. His eyes snapped open once more and he rolled onto his side, whimpering slightly as he curled into a fetal position, hugging his stomach.  
  
He felt his yami stirring in the back of his mind. He'd hoped that he wouldn't disturb him. He didn't feel like dealing with his annoyed darker half. But then... When did things ever go the way he wanted?  
  
Ryou? Bakura sounded groggy and annoyed. What are you doing?  
  
Ryou remained silent, almost hoping that his yami would, in his groggy state, assume he was just moving in his sleep. No such luck. His yami just seemed to wake up more when he didn't receive an answer. Ryou. I asked you a question. Bakura growled. Why aren't you asleep? What the Hell's wrong with you?  
  
Ryou sighed. ~I... I had a bad dream...~  
  
Psh...  
  
But after a moment's silence, Bakura's voice continued, sounding slightly softer and less annoyed than before. What happened?  
  
Ryou closed his eyes and relived the events as he told about them. ~It was dark and I was running through a cemetery... Everything kept changing on me, so I got lost. Then, those boys that you... that you...~ Ryou swallowed, unable to make himself say it. ~That were picking on me yesterday... I suddenly saw them. They were chained to a wall with your name written in blood above them... They were broken and bleeding. Dead...~ Ryou opened his eyes. ~But they were crying even though dead... Crying blood...~  
  
There was a long silence as Ryou hugged his stomach tighter. ~Did you have to kill them?~  
  
He could almost feel Bakura's smirk. Aibou... I'll never understand you. They'd have thought nothing of doing just that to you... How's your stomach, by the way?  
  
~It hurts... I think I hurt it worse when I snapped awake...~ Ryou sighed.  
  
The Millennium Ring, lying on Ryou's bedside table, began to glow dimly. The ghost-like figure of Bakura's astral-projection form materialized next to the bed. Ryou blinked and looked up at his yami even as Bakura sat down on the edge of the bed and lay a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "Go to sleep, Ryou... It was just a dream."  
  
Ryou sighed and closed his eyes, still feeling anxious. But he felt his yami's light touch on his shoulder and soon found himself smiling slightly. His breathing grew steadily shallower and he drifted off...  
  
~~~  
  
"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation Darkness stirs and wakes imagination Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."  
  
~~~  
  
"You hear about what happened yesterday?" Jounouchi's voice was low and excited as he talked to his friends. He glanced around the room as though to make sure no one else was listening.  
  
Ryou's breath caught in his throat. No... Not that... Don't talk about that...  
  
Honda was the first of the three other boys to respond. "About those three seniors?"  
  
Jounouchi nodded. Yugi, on the other hand, looked from him to Honda and then back at Jounouchi in utter confusion. "What are you two talking about?" He asked.  
  
Jounouchi looked down at his friend and leaned in, bringing his hands up as though he was an animal about to pounce. "Murder..." He whispered ominously.  
  
Ryou swallowed.  
  
Yugi's eyes went wide. "M... Murder? What happened?"  
  
Honda shrugged. "No one knows for sure. All I know is that Jou and me kinda knew the guys. They weren't the nicest people in the country, that was for sure. But to think that this would happen..."  
  
Ryou closed his eyes, then snapped them open once more as images began flooding back to him. He knew how they died... He was probably one of only five people that knew... And three of them were dead now... Which left him and his yami.  
  
Jounouchi nodded. "Yeah. They found the three on the street in a bad part of town. I walked by there on my way to school. There was blood everywhere, man. I'm tellin' ya. It was sick."  
  
"That much blood, huh?" Yugi asked. "How were they killed?"  
  
Jounouchi and Honda just shrugged.  
  
Ryou closed his eyes. He couldn't help it... He saw their deaths even with his eyes open, so he might as well enjoy the reassurance of the darkness that embraced him with his eyes shut. And so he relived the events yet again...  
  
First, the blank expression of the first boy as he died before even realizing what was happening... The other two were so terrified they couldn't run. The knife in his... No... it was Bakura's hand... It slashed out again, tearing the already dead boy's flesh and sending blood flying.  
  
One of the boys bolted, trying to run for his life. Within seconds, the knife lodged itself in his back, directly between his shoulder blades. He screamed and missed a step, falling to the ground. Before the third boy could move, he... Bakura... had him by the collar. Ryou couldn't help but feel that he himself had killed them. He'd seen every instant of the fight. It couldn't even be called a fight... A massacre... A slaughter...  
  
"The bodies were gone when I went by this morning. All I saw was the blood. Whoever did this sure didn't hold back... Enjoyed it from the looks of it."  
  
Ryou's eyes slid open and he stared at the desk in front of him. Bakura had enjoyed it. He always did... Ryou wished he didn't enjoy it so much. Perhaps then it wouldn't sicken him so...  
  
"Hey guys, sorry I didn't get here earlier." It was Anzu's voice. Ryou hadn't even noticed her arrival, and even after she greeted them all, he still didn't lift his eyes to acknowledge her presence.  
  
"Woah... Ryou. You alright?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Ryou looked up at her an nodded weakly. Yugi and Honda looked at him with concern, but Jounouchi kind of smirked. "We were just talking about the murder last night. Guess he couldn't stomach the thought."  
  
Anzu frowned, glaring slightly at Jounouchi. "And you think it's funny do you? I'll have you know that the reason I'm late is because I was trying to comfort one of my friends. She knew the guys. Heck, one of them was her sister's boyfriend. They're pretty upset about it."  
  
Ryou swallowed and he felt the Spirit of the Ring shift uncomfortably in his soulroom. Feeling a bit guilty for doing something that ended up affecting Ryou's friends perhaps? Ryou could never really tell. He could only guess. For all he knew, Bakura was trying to mask his amusement at Anzu's distress.  
  
Jounouchi didn't seem worried about Anzu's distress anyway. In fact, his expression brightened. "I bet you know a lot more about what happened then, huh?"  
  
Anzu scowled but sighed. "Actually no one really knows..."  
  
Yugi inclined his head to one side. "No witnesses I assume?"  
  
"Actually..." Anzu thought for a moment.  
  
~Witnesses...~ Ryou thought suddenly. ~Bakura...~  
  
Shh... Just let me listen.  
  
"The weird thing is... There was one... Sort of. Only, for a different crime involving those same guys."  
  
"What do you mean?" Honda asked.  
  
"As it would happen, some girl had phoned the police to report that three guys were beating some poor, younger boy senseless. When the police got there.." She shook her head. "It's so weird that someone would call to say that they were beating someone up and they end up dead... Ripped to pieces almost."  
  
Yugi swallowed. "Surely you're exaggerating..."  
  
"No..." Ryou thought, even as Anzu shook her head and said "No... I'm not. It was terrible."  
  
"Were there any details about the kid being beat up?" Honda asked.  
  
Anzu looked thoughtful a moment, then her eyes strayed over to Ryou, who was doing his best not to look anxious. "Come to think of it..."  
  
"Alright class, to your seats please." The teacher said firmly, banging a ruler against his desk.  
  
Anzu was startled out of that stream of thought and moved quickly to her desk on the other side of Yugi from Ryou. Honda took his seat behind her, and Jounouchi behind Yugi.  
  
Ryou sighed with relief, not remembering a single time when he was ever this glad for class starting. But now he was filled with a greater worry. ~What am I going to do? I doubt very much that there are many other white haired teenagers running around Domino...~  
  
There was a long silence, which made Ryou even more anxious. He couldn't think of any time before when his yami didn't have an answer. But then he felt a wave of comfort run through him as Bakura hummed a sweet tune in his soulroom.  
  
Then the humming stopped. You should pay attention in class, Aibou. And don't worry... We'll get through it, right?  
  
Ryou nodded slightly to himself. He couldn't help but continue to worry, but he felt better at least...  
  
~~~  
  
Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor Grasp it; sense it, tremulous and tender Turn your face away from the garish light of day Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light And listen to the music of the night  
  
~~~  
  
"I've got to get home, I'll see you all tomorrow." Ryou said as he quickly gathered his school things and shoved them into his backpack.  
  
"What's your hurry?" Yugi asked as he stood between their desks, practically blocking Ryou's way out.  
  
Ryou shook himself mentally. It wasn't like he was doing it on purpose was he? The others had been talking quietly amongst themselves at lunch... Did they suspect something?  
  
Don't worry yourself, Hikari.  
  
"Yeah, we could all just chill for a bit and then head to the game shop or park or something." Jounouchi put in from where he still lounged in his seat.  
  
"Um... Well..." Ryou couldn't think of any excuses. "Alright. I suppose that does sound like a lot of fun." He smiled as best he could, hoping that it didn't look as fake as it felt.  
  
You'll be fine. Just act normal. And if it comes up, deny any knowledge of the whole thing.  
  
~I'll try...~  
  
Trying often isn't good enough.  
  
Ryou didn't respond as he followed Yugi and Anzu from the room. Jounouchi and Honda followed after him. Ryou kept trying to tell himself that he was just imagining things. Seeking comfort, he instinctively reached up and lay a hand on the Millennium Ring where it was pressed between his skin and the shirt of his school uniform.  
  
"Whatcha doin'?" Jounouchi asked absently.  
  
"N-nuthin..." Ryou stammered as he lowered his hand.  
  
"By the way, you left too early last night. We had the most awesome partner duel. Me and Honda against Yugi and Anzu. I bet you'd have loved to watch."  
  
"Sorry, I just wanted to get home..."  
  
Jounouchi nodded. "Went straight home then? Shortest route I'm guessing?"  
  
"Yeah..." Ryou nodded, and Jounouchi didn't ask anymore questions. The group walked in semi-silence. Conversation was little and irrelevant. Small talk, Ryou realized. What was going on?  
  
Do you know where they're taking you? Bakura asked in a gruff whisper. As though afraid the others might sense his presence or hear his question.  
  
Ryou swallowed. ~Should I recognize it?~  
  
There's the abandoned bookstore you passed yesterday evening.  
  
~...~ Ryou felt himself growing tense. "Where we headed guys? This isn't the way to Yugi's or the park.  
  
Yugi glanced over his shoulder and Ryou thought he looked a bit apologetic and concerned. Anzu made a point not to look back. Jounouchi shoved his hands in his pockets and began to whistle. Honda coughed and, apparently because he felt bad that no one else would be honest, sighed.  
  
"We're going to talk to this girl who called the police last night..."  
  
Ryou stopped walking. "Oh? And why is that?" He looked back over one shoulder at Honda and then over the other to look back at Jounouchi.  
  
This time Jounouchi coughed. "We just thought we might ask her a few questions... Anzu said that, well she remembered the girl saying something interesting about the person who was being beat up by the recently killed..."  
  
Ryou was seconds away from panicking. He looked from one friend to the next, seeking some kind of comfort. They all seemed to look nervous. Did they think that he had done the murder? He swallowed. But there would be no way for him to prove that he didn't... If he tried to tell the truth, everyone except for these friends of his would just think he's crazy... And they... They'd try to make him give up the Ring... Give up Bakura...  
  
Let me handle this. Bakura said simply.  
  
Now Ryou felt he was going to panic. ~No! They're my friends!~  
  
I won't hurt them, Hikari. When Ryou still hesitated, Bakura's voice became soft and he whispered gently. Let me handle this, Aibou...  
  
So Ryou gave up control of his body. Bakura continued to blink and look around at the others. "Something interesting? Whatever could you be getting at?"  
  
Sitting in his soulroom amidst the scattered, broken toys, Ryou was once more amazed at just how well his yami could impersonate him. He just hoped giving up control wouldn't end up being a mistake.  
  
Yugi finally turned fully to face the albino. "The girl said something about the boy having oddly light colored hair. White almost... You have to admit, you're the most likely in almost the whole city to fit that description."  
  
"Yeah, Ryou..." Honda nodded. "Were you around these parts last night?"  
  
Bakura didn't respond at first. When he did, his voice sounded hurt. "Do you really think I'd have kept something like that from my friends? And why didn't you just say something? I'd have told you this morning that I don't know anything."  
  
Ryou sighed thinking absently to himself. "He's so good at being me... He's just like me, only without panicking..."  
  
Anzu turned to face him for the first time since they'd left school. "We trust you Ryou... It's just that... none of us knew where you were last night after you left Jou's. We were thinking, and we realized that if you'd gone straight home from his place... Well, the quickest path would have led you straight through here... And since you're still fairly new, it's likely you wouldn't have thought to go around these parts."  
  
BAKA!  
  
Bakura knelt in front of Ryou in his soulroom. "Think before you speak, alright!? You told them you went straight home. They know you were here now!"  
  
"I'm s-sorry!" Ryou whimpered, flinching and looking away from the wrathful, dark brown eyes.  
  
Bakura growled in exasperation and stood again, then disappeared as he turned his attention outwards once more.  
  
Bakura's fists clenched at his sides, but he managed to keep his expression confused and innocent looking. "Oh?" He looked around. "I suppose this does look a bit familiar... Perhaps I had come through here last night."  
  
"Uh huh..." Jounouchi toned.  
  
"Well... you would tell us if you got into any trouble here last night, right?" Anzu asked softly.  
  
Bakura nodded. You certainly have some annoying friends...  
  
Ryou sighed.  
  
"Well, it won't hurt to go see this witness anyway." Yugi said.  
  
Bakura blinked. "You don't believe me?"  
  
"It's not that." Jounouchi assured him quickly. Too quickly...  
  
"Besides, if it wasn't you, what do you have to worry about?" Honda asked.  
  
"..." Bakura nodded again, his fists clenching tighter, causing his fine fingernails to dig into his palms. "I'm not worried." He somehow managed to keep the hate and rage from his voice. "Let's go see this girl then."  
  
So the group began walking once more. Silence encircled them all. The other four were preoccupied with their thoughts. So none of them noticed that their white haired friend was walking as though in a trance. Bakura had moved most of his consciousness into Ryou's soulroom, leaving just enough attention to keep their shared body walking.  
  
He stepped carefully over the toys and knelt beside Ryou, who was hugging his knees and trying not to cry. Ryou swallowed and looked up at him. "This is the typical thing to happen..." he said, his voice quavering. "Nothing ever goes right for me... Or us... Whichever. How are we going to get out of it? If they find out that I had something to do with it, than I'll really be in trouble. No one will believe me except for Yugi and the others, and they won't like the idea of me having 'The Evil Spirit of the Ring' residing in my mind..." Ryou lowered his head as tears began to run down his cheeks.  
  
"We'll make it through this. We always have so far. There's still the chance you won't be recognized by this girl. And if so... There are other ways of silencing people."  
  
"No!" Ryou lifted his head to look at his yami and shook it violently. "No, please don't hurt them!"  
  
Bakura shifted position, moving to sit next to Ryou on the ground. He picked up a teddy bear and studied it. The seam of one arm was ripped and the limb pulled off, exposing the white fluff within. The yami sighed and handed it to Ryou, who hugged it tightly, rocking forward and backward, his eyes once more glued to the ground in front of him.  
  
"I know, Aibou. I promised I wouldn't hurt your friends, remember? Trust me... Let me handle things..."  
  
Ryou nodded, his eyes slipping closed. He felt tired... Being frightened, nervous, anxious, or anything else unpleasant like that always made him tired. And he'd certainly had enough of that since yesterday night...  
  
~~~  
  
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before Close your eyes; let your spirit start to soar And you'll live as you've never lived before.  
  
~~~  
  
Anzu knocked lightly on the door. Ryou shivered. Bakura had released his control of their body after many requests for such by Ryou. The hikari may not have wished to deal with the situation, but Bakura had been growing angry. Ryou didn't want to risk him becoming violent against Yugi and the others. So now here he stood with the others in a rundown apartment building, waiting at some stranger's door for her to answer.  
  
Just remember... Bakura murmured softly. First sign of any real trouble and I'm coming out.  
  
Ryou swallowed, his eyes stuck on the doorknob that had begun to turn. ~I know...~  
  
The door opened just a crack and cautious green eyes peeked out at them, just above the chain lock on the door. The girl studied what she could see of them silently. Ryou was secretly glad that he'd managed to slip behind Honda just before the door opened.  
  
Anzu smiled at the girl. "Hello... My name is Anzu. My friend was supposed to have mentioned that I'd be dropping by..."  
  
The girl hesitated, then nodded. "Yes... She mentioned you." He eyes darted quickly to the others.  
  
Anzu nodded slightly in understanding. "These are my friends." She explained, pointing at each as she introduced them. "Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and... Ryou, come out here..."  
  
Ryou stepped silently out from behind Honda. The girl's eyes went wide and her face disappeared as she pulled back and shut the door quickly. The sound of the chain being slid hurriedly out of place could be heard and then the door opened again. The girl stood in the doorway with wide eyes, staring at Ryou. She was studying him so intently that it brought Ryou a slight blush. He wasn't used to- and didn't like- receiving this much attention.  
  
"You... My god... You're him!" she looked at Anzu. "This is him! He's the one being beat up!" She looked back at Ryou. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Did you hurt them? Surely you weren't the one who did that to them were you? You seemed so weak and helpless, I couldn't imagine you doing that..."  
  
"Gee... thanks..." Ryou murmured under his breath. He blinked, not sure where that had come from...  
  
It went unnoticed, however, as the others glanced around at each other. "So you were involved..." Yugi said, his voice holding a mixture of fear and awe.  
  
Jounouchi grabbed the back of Ryou's shirt and pulled him back so that he could put an arm around him and talk conspiringly. "So dude... Did you do it? I mean... Come on. I really don't see it happening, but tell us. Did you do it? Did you kill them?"  
  
"No!" Ryou squeaked, trembling. He wasn't sure whether to stand there and continue to deny it or if he should try to run.  
  
"Then you saw who did do it, right?" Honda pressed.  
  
Ryou looked from Jounouchi to Honda to Yugi and then to Anzu. The last was the worst to see. She seemed so upset. Did she think that he had killed her friend's sister's boyfriend? And then he couldn't help but think about how silly that sounded... friend's sister's boyfriend... He knew that was just proof of how very terrified he was. He always started to think about other, random things when he was the most upset.  
  
"I... I... I don't know anything!" Ryou stammered. He could tell they didn't believe him. The girl had started back into her apartment. He was too terrified to make sense of anything, but he was pretty sure she had mentioned the police.  
  
"Bakura!" He cried, accidentally saying it out loud.  
  
"What the-" Jounouchi began, but was cut off as the Millennium Ring suddenly flashed brightly, melting through Ryou's shirt to be exposed to view.  
  
There was a collective gasp from Yugi and the others as their usually timid and quiet friend lifted his arms and held his hands in the air on either side of the Ring. He was laughing. Not any normal laugh. The kind of laugh that gave you cold chills and made you wish that you weren't the one being laughed at. It was a very evil and sadistic laugh.  
  
Bakura opened his red eyes. Crimson like the blood he'd spilled so often. Scared out of her mind, Anzu screamed, turned and started to run down the hall. With another bright flash, Bakura pointed one finger at her and she froze, as did everything and everyone else.  
  
Ryou had practically been flung back into his soulroom and as he lay on the ground he felt himself loosing what little energy he'd had left. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but finally gave up and allowed himself to lay still on the floor. Without thinking, he hugged the nearest toy tightly for comfort. His mind was growing dark and fuzzy around the edges, and he barely noticed that he was clutching the teddy bear that Bakura had handed him earlier.  
  
The last then he remembered was hearing a whisper. A voice that was both harsh and caring at once.  
  
"Don't fret, Aibou... I'll handle everything..."  
  
~~~  
  
Softly, deftly music shall caress you Feel it, hear it secretly possess you Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind In this darkness which you know you can not fight The darkness of the music of the night  
  
~~~  
  
Ryou was staring at the grass in front of him. He blinked. How long had he been there?  
  
"Ryou! Look out!"  
  
The startled albino looked up and gasped. He barely had time to turn his face away and cross his arms in front of his head before the soccer ball slammed into him. The force knocked him backwards, and he landed with a splash. This confused him even more, though the first thing on his mind was finding air again. He flailed around for a few moments before he managed to sit up, his arms behind him to support him. He took a deep breath, thankful for not being under the water anymore.  
  
Looking around, he realized he was sitting in the water for the fountain in the park. But how had he gotten there? The last thing he remembered was giving his yami control then curling up in his soul room with the teddy bear...  
  
His yami...  
  
His friends! Were they alright!?  
  
Even as he looked up, Yugi and Anzu joined Jounouchi and Honda in looking down at him with concern. "Ryou! Man, I'm sorry!" Jounouchi was repeating over and over again. "You alright?"  
  
Honda, in the meantime, was chewing Jounouchi out for having no skill and not being careful and watching what he was doing. Yugi was watching the two careful, lest they begin a serious argument and/or break into an actual fight. Anzu, on the other hand, leaned forward and offered Ryou her hand.  
  
"Are you alright Ryou? Jounouchi may not have much skill, but he's got a strong kick. That looked like it hurt."  
  
Ryou couldn't help but smile at them all. ~Thank you Bakura...~ Even as he thought that, he took Anzu's hand. "Thanks. And yeah, I'm alright."  
  
Humph... I just didn't want to live with hearing you whine if I hurt any of them.  
  
Ryou sighed even as he continued to smile at his friends. With Anzu's help, he clambered out of the fountain and sat on the ground, leaning against the short wall holding in the water. The others sat (or plopped as the case may be) down into the grass near him. Yugi had run to retrieve the soccer ball and sat with it in his lap, his elbows propped up on it and his chin cupped in his hands. Anzu sat with her legs tucked underneath herself, the vision of lady-like behavior. Not that she acted as such very often. Jounouchi was on his back, his hands under his head as he stared up into the mostly clear blue sky. Honda sat next to Ryou, also leaning against the fountain wall.  
  
"I still can't help but wonder about those three seniors..." Jounouchi mused aloud.  
  
"Baka! Do you always have to think about things like that? It's so terrible!" Anzu scolded.  
  
Ryou swallowed, allowing his eyes to slide down to the grass in front of him. ~Bakura... What happened? How did we get here, and why aren't they suspicious anymore? And... What about the other girl?~  
  
Just a little Shadow Magic.  
  
Ryou didn't like the simplicity of that answer. ~Bakura... What did you do?~  
  
His yami sighed. I just messed with their memory some. They don't remember hearing anything suspicious about you. You don't have anything to be afraid of from them now.  
  
Ryou still didn't feel satisfied. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip further into his own mind, searching for the link with the Millennium Ring.  
  
Swallowing, he passed into Bakura's soulroom. He looked around, feeling disoriented, as he always did on the rare occasion he journeyed in here, by the fact he was standing there with dark but pretty clouds swirling around his feet. He looked around for his yami.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" The voice sounded angry and threatening.  
  
Ryou spun around, barely containing his yelp of fear and surprise. Taking a deep breath in attempt to quell his fear, he stood up straighter and fixed his yami with an even gaze. "What about the other girl?"  
  
Bakura looked Ryou up and down. "Irrelevant." He stated, crossing his arms in front of himself. There was a smirk plastered on his face.  
  
"No! It isn't irrelevant!"  
  
"Yes it is. What happened to the wench is none of our concern. It isn't important."  
  
Ryou was terrified. Bakura must have done something terrible to her. "But it is! It's important to me! What did you do to her!?" He shouted, stepping towards his yami.  
  
"And if I don't tell you?" Bakura jeered. He saw Ryou's hands curl into fists. "Are you going to hit me?" Bakura laughed, but for once it didn't sound taunting. "You're angry aren't you? Are you going to hit me?" His smile was excited. Expectant. His crimson eyes blazed with enthusiasm at the idea.  
  
Ryou took in his yami's appearance. Not much bigger, but so much more imposing than his own. He swallowed and began to step forward... Then stopped. He bowed his head, his hands unclenching and hanging loosely at his sides.  
  
Bakura's expression was gone in a split second. The ecstasy of a moment ago replaced with bland disappointment. He studied Ryou, almost, disdainfully. The boy was trembling from anger, but also- quite easy to distinguish- from fear. He kept his head bowed so that his bangs shadowed his eyes, but Bakura could feel his tears as though they were his own. Sighing, the yami stepped forward and put his arms around Ryou.  
  
"Aibou... Aibou... Aibou..." He sighed again, putting a hand on the back of Ryou's head. "I did not hurt the girl. She's safe. I made her forget that we and the others had gone to her, and I believe that she will change her story for the police... Now that she's thought about it more, you know?" Bakura chuckled. "I just changed a few of her memories."  
  
Ryou didn't respond, nor did he return the hug. He just stood there silently, his hands down at his sides. He felt so miserable. Even the news that the girl was alright didn't lighten his mood very much. Bakura often made him feel this way.  
  
"You need to get a backbone, Aibou. People like me will push you around your entire life if you don't. You need to stand up for yourself, or I'll always be cleaning up your messes... And in doing so, make messes of my own... If you catch the drift."  
  
Ryou nodded glumly, a slightly difficult task with how Bakura was hugging him.  
  
"You should let me teach you to defend yourself. I know I've asked this of you before, but I just have to ask again. Will you learn to fight?"  
  
Ryou was silent. Then, tears in his eyes, he put his arms around his yami and nodded.  
  
Bakura didn't smile exactly, but something about his expression definitely lightened as he patted Ryou on the back. "Aibou..."  
  
~~~  
  
Let your mind start a journey though a strange new world Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before Let your soul take you where you long to be Only then can you belong to me  
  
~~~  
  
Anzu's voice cut through Ryou's thoughts, pulling him from Bakura's soulroom. "Ryou!"  
  
"Wha... Huhn?" The white haired boy blinked and looked up at Anzu. She was looking at him oddly. They all were, he realized.  
  
"That's twice now that you've zoned out like that." Jounouchi said. He'd rolled onto his side now, and had propped himself up on one elbow.  
  
Ryou smiled sheepishly, blushing slightly. "Sorry... I'm just kind of tired. Up late studying, you know?"  
  
Yugi chuckled. "You're such a good student, Ryou... You don't need to study so much."  
  
"Yeah." Honda agreed. "You could get grades as good as us if we studied for three days straight and you barely opened a textbook."  
  
Ryou blushed a bit more. "Jeez... Thanks, I think..." He looked at his watch then stood. "I had a lot of fun today, guys, but I should get going."  
  
Yugi climbed to his feet as well. "I'll walk with you."  
  
"Oh... Really it's not a big deal." Ryou said hurriedly.  
  
"Not at all. I'd like to talk with you some more." Yugi smiled.  
  
Ryou nodded, smiling. "Alright then... Bye to the rest of you then." He waved as he began to walk off, his backpack swung onto one shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, bye everyone!" Yugi called back as he followed Ryou. The other three yelled their good-byes then commenced arguing about something or another.  
  
The two hikaris walked in silence for a while before Ryou finally just looked down at Yugi. "So... What did you want to talk about? Anything in particular?"  
  
Yugi hesitated, then nodded. "Actually, yeah. I wanted to know more about your Millennium Ring..."  
  
Ryou swallowed. "My Ring?" He asked, his hand raising to touch the smooth gold. It was over his shirt now. He could only guess that it had happened when Bakura used his shadow magic earlier that afternoon. "Wha-what about it?"  
  
"I've just been thinking... I wonder how much like my puzzle it is." Yugi took the pyramid shaped puzzle in his hands and stared down at it as they walked. "When I got the puzzle, I got another presence inside me... I haven't been able to keep from wondering if you have one too."  
  
Ra cursed mortal... Him and that pharaoh spirit of his need to keep their noses out of our business.  
  
Ryou sighed involuntarily at Bakura's comment. ~Be nice...~  
  
Why? Your friend can't hear me, so it's not like he'd be offended.  
  
~...~ Ryou felt Bakura smirk. ~You and your bloody logic...~  
  
Aloud, Ryou just commented, "I don't know, Yugi. Perhaps yours is just special."  
  
"I guess it could be... But..." Yugi thought for a moment. "Sometimes you get this weird expression and you just zone out. I can't help but think it's similar to when I look inside to speak with Yami. When I do that, the rest of the world just seems to slide away."  
  
"Hmmm..." Ryou toned, trying not to agree to or deny anything.  
  
"Do you have another spirit? Honestly, now." Yugi looked up at Ryou.  
  
Don't tell him.  
  
Ryou sighed, and seeing the way Yugi picked up on it, he thought quickly to use that sigh. His voice was wistful when he spoke. "No, Yugi... I don't have another spirit. I bet it'd be nice, though. Always having a friend right there to talk to if you need it. Or to help you out if you need trouble."  
  
Yugi nodded. "I'm sorry. I just thought that I'd ask..."  
  
Ryou nodded and stopped walking, as they had reached his home. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay Yugi?"  
  
"Yeah, bye Ryou."  
  
So the white haired boy turned and walked to his front door. He entered quickly and closed the door behind him. Tossing his backpack onto the living room floor, he flopped down on the couch. Sighing, he rolled onto his side so he was facing the back of the couch. His eyes slid closed and he sighed contently. He was so tired...  
  
"Get up."  
  
Ryou groaned and rolled onto his back, his head turned to look up at Bakura's ghostly form. "I'm tired..."  
  
"You're weak. You're pathetic. And you're going to learn."  
  
Ryou blinked. "Now?"  
  
"Yes, now."  
  
"But I'm tired."  
  
"I said get up."  
  
Ryou sighed and rolled over, off of the couch. He caught himself on his hands and knees and climbed to his feet. "Okay... What first?"  
  
"The best way to learn how to do something is to do it." Bakura said. With that, he moved forward stealthily, raising a fist. Ryou squeaked in fear and dodged out of the way as his yami took a swing at him. Bakura smirked as he turned to Ryou. "Come on... I'll take it easy on you..."  
  
Ryou shook his head. "No! I don't want to... Please can we just forget about this?"  
  
"You said you'd let me teach you. Were you lying?" When Ryou was silent, he pressed further. "Are you a liar, Ryou? Do you ever not tell lies? Like when you lied to Yugi? About me?"  
  
"You told me not to tell him!" Ryou cried angrily.  
  
"That's right! Be angry. That's where you need to start. Now come on. Let's dance..." Bakura started towards Ryou again.  
  
The smaller, meeker boy swallowed, but stood ready to attempt to block and perhaps even to fight back. He really hoped that his yami would take it very very easy on him...  
  
~~~  
  
Floating, falling sweet intoxication  
  
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation  
  
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in To the power of the music that I write  
  
The power of the music of the night  
  
~~~  
  
"... ... ...ou... Ryou... Ryou, wake up..."  
  
Ryou groaned and opened his eyes, or tried to at least. They barely opened a slit before he had to close them again against the dim light that was so much brighter than the darkness of the insides of his eyelids.  
  
"Good... You're awake."  
  
He recognized it as Bakura's voice now. But he was still too disoriented to tell if it was coming from his mind or from outside of him. Was his yami still in his astral-projection form?  
  
"Wha... What happened?" Ryou asked.  
  
There was a silence, then he felt a cool hand touch his forehead. "I'm sorry..." Then the hand was pulled away and he heard footsteps.  
  
"Huhnnn?" Ryou managed to open his eyes now and looked around. He was on the living room floor. He was having trouble remembering what had happened... He'd been sparing with Bakura... Not that you could really call it that. Bakura was throwing punches and Ryou was dodging them, only making pathetic attempts at attacking every once and a while. But... What had happened?  
  
He suddenly found himself aware of a dull pain in the back of his head. And his right cheek was throbbing. Was that blood that he tasted? Ryou raised a hand to his cheek and winced at his own touch. "What... What happened?" He looked up and around for his yami.  
  
He spotted Bakura sitting across the room from himself. He was on the ground, leaning back against the wall. His feet were drawn in most of the way, and his arms balanced on his knees, his hands hanging down in front of him. Ryou could barely make out any of his facial features, for his head was bowed, his white hair, even more unruly than Ryou's, shadowing his countenance.  
  
"It's my fault. You'll live, though... For a while there, I thought you might be badly hurt."  
  
"What happened?" Ryou asked again.  
  
Bakura raised his eyes to stare at Ryou numbly. "I should have waited until you'd gotten some rest. You were too tired." He sighed. "You were tired and weak and you stumbled right into my attack. I hadn't meant to even hit you, really. Let alone like that."  
  
"Oh..." Ryou touched his cheek again. It was swelling.  
  
Bakura lowered his head again, sitting in silence. There was a long silence as Ryou studied him carefully. Did he really care for Ryou more than he let on? The timid boy swallowed and took a deep breath. "Yami..." Bakura looked up at him. "It's alright. I forgive you. I know it was probably an accident."  
  
Bakura nodded and began to fade from view. Ryou almost thought he saw the hint of a smile on Bakura's lips as he disappeared from view. He stood, swaying slightly, and walked to the couch where he lay down. Smiling, he lay on his side, hugging the Ring carefully but tightly to his chest. He knew that Bakura would always be around. And although he sometimes wished that Bakura had fewer evil and murderous tendencies... He was glad that he had him. And knew that he'd always be with him.  
  
Bakura smiled as Ryou drifted off to sleep. Then he silently took control of their shared body. He was in the mood for some fun. Walking to Ryou's room, he picked up their deck of Duel Monsters cards. He smirked. There was still the matter of those two guys who were making fun of Ryou's hair two weeks ago... They never touched him, so Bakura hadn't been able to talk Ryou into allowing him control. But they were still bastards who needed to be taught a lesson.  
  
Bakura shuffled his deck, smirking evilly to himself. As he stopped shuffling, he pulled the card off of the top and looked at it. His smirk grew even more evil. Bloodthirsty.  
  
"And this time... I won't leave any mess to be wondered over..."  
  
He laughed as he put the Man-Eater Bug back on top of his deck. Ryou was right. He would always be there. If for not other purposes than to take out revenge on those who wronged his hikari...  
  
~~~  
  
You alone can make my song take flight  
  
Help me make the music of the night  
  
====== ~*~*~*~ ====== 


	2. Author's Note Hey trea

Trea,  
  
Sorry, I would contact you personally with this, but you didn't leave me with any information so that I could. So I'm going to hop that you see this somehow or another.  
  
Hey, thanks for your review. I was planning for this to be a one-shot thing, but perhaps you can change my mind. If you get in touch with me by either e-mail (dragonlady144@yaho.com) or an Instant Messenger of some sort and tell me what you think, then perhaps I will make more to this than I left it at. Who knows really? It's up to you though. Here's the rest of my contact information.  
  
AIM: dragon mastress  
  
YIM: dragonlady144  
  
MSN: Zareenia@hotmail.com  
  
Of course, this is open to anyone else who might like to bargain with me for more chapters. I'm open to begging, praising, commissioning, suggestions, or requests. ^_^() 


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